kr-ieble



July 28, 1925. 7 1,547,589

c. c. KRIEBLE YARN FEEDING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 26, 1923 -2 Sh tsheet l nu bra/Fm:-

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July 28, 1925.

C. C. KRIEBLE MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES YARN FEEDING Filed July 26, 1923 sheetsheet 2 aia a s m rm ,8 M67304 5.! l NHOL E8 ammo/Ma ZZZ ZZZ

Inven Z02.-

. Chaqlefiifijeble, 6 1451M Y EM Patented July 28, 1925. V

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cH nLEs o. KnrEBL or oanIs'row'N, rENNsYLvANI ASSIGNOR Tow'ILnM'AN MFG. 00., or nonarsrowN, PENNSYLVANIA, A- CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

YARN-FEEDING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES'.

Application filed July 26, 1923. Serial No. 653,935.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES. C. KRI'EBLE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Yarn-Feeding Mechanism for Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention concerns a multiple feed machine in which the yarns are introduced selectively in any desired order. It is shown in connection with a rib machine employing latch needles though it is'not limited to a machine of this type.

Furthermore, the invention is shown applied to that type of machine in which the needle carriers are fixed and the needle cams rotate, but in this respect also, this type of machine has been chosen for convenience of disclosure and not as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of so much of a knitting head as is necessary to illustrate one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view with parts broken away.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the yarn feed wheel and associated elements.

Fig. 4 is a front View of mechanism for controlling the yarn feed fingers.

Fig. 5 is a detail view ,of one of the shafts belonging to the yarn feed finger cont-rolling mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of one of the cams for controlling the yarn fingers, being in effect a plan view of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a view of the yarn feed wheel and yarn fingers. This view is looking in the direction of the arrow 6 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the yarn fingers.

Fig. 9 is a view of a controlling cam.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the toothed feed wheel. 7

In these drawings, 1 indicates the needle cylinder, 2 the dial, 3 the cylinder cam box, and 4 the dial cams, of a rib knitting machine, these parts being shown conventionally. The machine may be of the so-called dogless type, though it may be of other forms. The dogless head is indicated at 5, one of the supporting brackets being indifinger 8.

cated broken away at 6. The yarns, of

which there may be various numbers, are shown here as four. They are guided through tubes 7, four in number depending from the dogless head, and are received by yarn fingers 8, .9, 10 and 11, which" are piv-' otally mounted at 12, Figs. 2 and 3. These fingers are pressed downwardly against the upward pressure of springs 30, to occupy their feeding positions, by cams 13 on vertically disposed rock shafts 14 journalled in the bracket 15 and its top plate 16, the latter being supported by posts 17 from the bracket 15. The rock-shafts are pressed in one direction, or to normal position, by springs 18, Fig. 4, and they are turned in the opposite direction by a cam 19 which is supported in the fixed base ring f. The cam 19 is raised to different levels by suitable pattern mechanismso as to select and operate upon either one of the arms 20 on the rock shafts 14, there being one of these tappet arms for each rock shaft. These arms are arranged in respect to each other at different level, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and when the cam 19 is lifted into the same horizontal plane with either one of the arms 20, it will be struck by the arm, the contact taking place at the end 19 of the cam 19, while the arm with the cam box is rotating in the direction of the arrow 00, it being understood that the cam 19 has no rotary movement about the axis of the knitting head. On striking the cam 19, the arm 20 will be'turned against the tension of the spring-18 and the cam 13 belonging to that arm and shaft will be turned so that its edge working against the shoulder 21 (Figs. 2 and 3) of the yarn finger, will swing this finger down into its feeding position, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, where the illustration is presented in connection with the yarn The'lowered yarn finger will be-retained in this position after it leaves the cam 19 by a detent 22 whose tooth 22*? passes beneath the projection 8 at the tail end of the yarn finger. This detent rotates about the aXis of the shaft 14 and it is under pressure of a spring 22 so that itsnaps into position to lock the yarn finger down as soon as the shoulder 8 (Figs. 2 and 8) rises above its plane. The detent is arrested by a stop pin 22.

The onward rotary movement of the head mechanism of any known form, such for instance as that employed to lift tappet roller 19*, mounted on the base.

The post supported and guided in bracket 24 secured at 2st to base f, passes up through an opening in the cam 19 and as it rises its cam incline 23 forces the cam 19 inwardly towards the center of the ma-s chine, to the right in Fig. 2, so as to engage the projection 22 of any one of the detents 22 which may be active in holding its yarn finger in feeding position so that upon the projection 22 striking this cam 19*, the detent will be turned back to normal position against the pressure of its spring, such normal position being shown at the right of Fig. 3, and this will release the finger, which up to now hasbeen in feeding position. This finger will now rise to its non-feeding position and its tail projection or shoulder 8 will immediately drop in front of the tooth 22 of the detent and will hold this detent retracted, asshown at the right of Fig. 3, and this condition will persist after the rotary movement of the head has carried the group of yarn feed fingers on beyond the earns 19, 19*. The rise of this finger to its non-feeding position will be free to take place as soon as the detent is operated by the cam 19*, because the cam 19 will not be in the path of the tappet arm 20 belonging to this released yarn finger, and hence the cam 19 will not cause the cam 13 to be swung into position to. keep this released finger down.

This release of the yarn feeding finger and its upward movement .to non-feeding position will not take place, however, until after the new yarn finger has been lowered to feeding position and until after the new yarn has been taken by the needles, this being necessary, of course, to prevent drop stitches, and it will be noticed therefore, that the cam 19 (Fig. 1 is extended to reach around the machine to the point 19 a considerable distance from the point where the detent operating cam 19 is located, so that there will be ample time for the new yarn to be introduced to the needle before the old yarnis taken out of work. Reverting to the cam 19*, this is pushed inwardly towards the center of the machine against the tension of the spring attached to the cam at one end ried the same past the cam 19.

by pin 26 and to the screw 27 on a part of the fixed bracket 24* through which the post 24 slides vertically, and on the upper surface of which the cam 19 is guided, as at 29. The yarn fingers, when released by their detents, are elevated out of work by their springs 80, there being a spring for each yarn feed finger housed in the block 31 in which the yarn fingers are pivotally mounted at 12.

All the projections 22 of the detents 22 are in the same horizontal planeso that as the detents pass the cam 19 any one of them which has its projection 22 extending out as shown on the left of Fig. 3, will be operated by contact with the cam 19*, which as above set forth, will be advanced inwardly at the same time that post 2 1 is raised to set cam 19 in the horizontal plane of rotation of the arm 20 belonging to that yarn finger which is to be lowered to feeding position. Of course it will be understood that the cam incline 23 sets the cam 19 inwardly as soon as the post 24 has raised high enough to locate the cam 19 in the path of the one of the arms 20 (Fig. 1) which is to be selected. if the post is raised to its highest position, the inward position of the cam 19 will be maintained because the side of the cylindrical part of the post below the cam incline I 23 will form a continuation of the high part of the incline. As just stated, when cam 19 is set in towards the center of the machine, it will retire any of the detents 22, all of whose arms are in the same horizontal plane. The detent of the yarn finger which has just been lowered will, therefore, be operated in passing the cam 19*, but this will be an idle movement and the newly lowered yarn finger will not rise because the arm 20 still will be riding on the edge of the cam 19 and thus the cam 13 will be maintained in the position to which it was turned with its high part against the shoulder 21 to hold the fin ger down. In other words the cam 19 extends alongside of the circular path of travel described by the rock shafts and their arms on both sides of the cam 19*, so that despite the fact that the detent belonging to the yarn finger which has just been lowered will be operated by the cam 19*, the said yarn finger will not rise because the cam 19 will still be contacted by the arm 20 belonging to the rock shaft of the lowered yarn finger, after the detent has been operated, and hence the lowered yarn finger will still be held in its lowered position to give time for its detent to snap into position to hold it lowered after passing said cam 19*. As soon as the detent of this finger passes the cam 19 it will snap again into position to hold the finger in its lowered position when the movement of the feed mechanism has car- The lugs of the pattern mechanism are so disposed, and are of such height relative to each other, that either one of the arms 20, (which are at different elevations, Fig. 4:) will be hit by the cam 19 to get selection of the yarns in any desired order. These yarns preferably are of different colors so that color striping is produced.

As soon as any one of the arms 20 which hits the cam 19, travels pastthe said Cdiil, the spring 18 returns the rock shaft belonging thereto and the cam 13 to normal position, but the corresponding yarn finger will remain down, under control of the detent 22 belonging thereto, the cam 19 drop ping down and the cam 19 retracting out of the path of the projection 22 of this detent as soon as the change has been accomplished. In other words, the normal position of the cam 19 is down, and it returns to this position after each change of teed. It rises from this low position when ea-h change is to take place and its rise may be into the rotary plane of either of the arms 20 of the rock shafts, and in rising it alw .ys adjusts the cam 19 inwardly to open ate any oi? the detents which have been in yarn linger holdingposition, but this operation of the detent does not take place, as before stated, until after the new yarn has been introducedto the needles. The cam 19 once adjusted to its elevated position, may be adjusted to difi'erent level for making another change, before returning to normal low position. This would be useful in making a pin stripe.

In directing the yarn from the guide tubes 7 to the fingers, a thin metal strip, or plate, 31 is secured to the top 16 of the bracket 15 and the yarns, after leaving the tubes 7, pass beneath this plate or arm and thence through the guide eyes of the fingers.

The yarn guiding ends of the fingers are located in a series substantially radially in respect to the knitting head. Cooperating with these fingers is a toothed yarn feeding wheel 32, the teeth 33 of which incline in the direction of rotation of the wheel, indicated by the arrow The wheel is on a shaft 34 mounted in the boss 15 of the bracket 15. This bracket is fixed to the flange of the cam box 3 to ro tate therewith and carry the toothed wheel 32 and all the fingers: and their controlling cams, shafts 14 and detents 22, around the axis of the machine as one body, to feed the yarn to the non-rotating series of needles n. The teeth of the feed wheel overhang at their upper ends making a periphery oi" the form illustrated in Figs. 1 and 7, in which the upper part inc-lines upwardly and outwardly. The lower and wider part of this periphery inclines outwardly slightly from its point of junction with the overhanging teeth to the lower edge of the wlieel 01 1117 ing thus a channel in which the yarn will be guided. Each yarn finger has a main stem portion overlying the wheel, and a down-turned end, as at 35, adapted, when the finger is lowered, to reach down below the upper surface oi the wheel, so that the yarn extending through the eye of this lowered yarn finger will be lowered across the edge of the wheel to be taken by the pointed ends of one 01 the teeth thereof and be carried forward thereby in the direction oi" the arrow 3 Fig. 3, to the elevated needles which are now about to descend and take this new yarn. The free ends of the yarns are held beneath a clamp consisting of a thin strip oi spring metal 36, overlying the feed wheel, but having no rotation about the axis thereof. This thin blade is formed as an integral extension of the thin plate 37 which is fixed by a screw to the nonrotating plate 38 fixed in relation to the wheels rotation, and above the same. This plate 38 forms an extension of the portion 15 of the bracket 15 and it lies within a depression or recess in the upper side of the toothed yarn feed wheel. It forms a. base upon which the yarn clamping strip or plate 36 lies with one edge contacting therewith, as shown in Fig. 7. In other words, the blade 36 is arranged at an angle to the plate 38. When the new yarn is first introduced to the teeth of the feed wheel by the lowering of the yarn finger to feeding position, as above described, the free end of this yarn remains held by the clamping blade, Fig. 3. It extends: therefrom under the guard plate 37, thence down over the edge of the wheel and through one of the spaces between the teeth thereof. As the teeth are pointed, because of their lateral angular formation, the yarn will be caught by the pointed tooth, and will extend. thence to the eye of the finger. This course of the new yarn is indicated at (r, in Fig. 3, it being understood, however, that the wheel has rotated slightly from the point where the yarn finger 8 lies and from the point where the yarn was first introduced to this tooth ot the wheel. The needles here are elevated sufiiciently that the yarn will be carried below the hook and the needles will take the yarn as they descend, and this end, therefore, will be withdrawn from under the clamping blade 36 as the toothed wheel continues to revolve. The clamping blade is inclined laterally, as shown in Fig. 7 so that it presents a comparatively thin clamping edge at 36 to securely grip the yarn troni which edge the blade inclines upwz'rrdly so that as the wheel continues to rotate it finds practically no resistance to pulling the yarn out from under the blade because the direction of pull is now backward in relation to the gripping edge, or in a direction tron. the raised edge of the blade to its gripping edge, this being in a direction reverse to the direction of pull lil) in the channel formed, as above described, in

the periphery of the wheel from the yarn guide eye to the needles, but in a downwardly inclined dlrection, and this is illustrated in Fig. 7 generally.

Now when this yarn which is feedin has been supplanted by a new yarn introduced by lowering one of the other figures, its yarn finger is raised to its non-feeding position, which lifts the yarn, at the point where it passes through the eye to a position above the plane of the teeth of the wheel, but it still extends up between two of the teeth of the wheel. This yarn, still caught in the tooth of the wheel, passes under the guide finger 37 which holds it down in position to pass under the clamping blade 36. This yarn, which has just been lifted, may now be described as extending from the elevated yarn guide eye, under the plate 37, under the clamp 36, thence through one of the spaces between the teeth of the wheel, and thence to the point where it remains tied into the fabric. It may be said to be in the form of an open or wide loop, one end being at the eye of the elevated finger and the other end tied to the fabric and the intermediate bent or looped portion hanging on the edge of the wheel between the teeth and with a part of this stretch extending under the clamping plate and guard plate.

The continued rotation of the toothed wheel now brings that portion of this yarn end which is lying over the edge of the wheel between the teeth, to guide finger 40, on which it rides and which directs it to the cutting edge 39 formed integral with the fin ger ll) and held in the extension 15 of the main bracket 15, and here the yarn is cut, the upper surface or edge of the tooth of the wheel forming the movable shearing edge cooperating with the fixed edge 39..

This cut end, still being under the clamp 36, remains held by the edge of this laterally inclined clamping member securely, until i this yarn is again introduced to the toothed wheel and thence to the needles as above described.

The cutter 39 is pressed down onto the toothed wheel by a spring plunger 41 which, together with its spring 42, is housed in'the boss 43 on the bracket extension 15".

What I claim is 1. In combination in a circular knitting machine, needles, a plurality of movable yarn feed fingers, operating means therefor,

a wheel having peripheral teeth to feed the yarns to and move them from the needles, yarn clamping means substantially within the circle of teeth, and on the upper side of the wheel, and a yarn cutter member arranged within the circle of teeth over the upper face of the wheel and adjacent the path of movement of the upper ends of the teeth and in conjunction with said upper edges of the teeth severing the yarn adja cent the point where itbends over the upper toothed edge of the wheel on its way from the clamp to the needles, substantially as described.

In combination in a circular knitting machine, needles, and yarn feeding mechanism comprising a plurality of yarn fingers and a toothed wheel receiving the yarn between its teeth from either one of said fingers, and by its revolution introducing it initially to the needle, means for throwing the fingers into and out of feeding position to deliver their yarns to or remove them from the teeth of the wheel, and a clamp for the yarn arranged substantially Within the circle of teeth and comprising a spring blade, and a member fixed against rotation with the toothed wheel, adjacent the upper face thereof and below the spring blade, said spring blade being inclined laterally with relation to the fixed member presenting one edge close thereto to clamp the yarn from which edge the blade inclines upwardly forming a mouth or receiving space for the introduction of the yarn under said clamping edge, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a circular knitting machine, needles, a plurality of yarn feed fingers, a rotary toothed wheel for receiving the yarn between its teeth and delivering it to and from the needles, means for cutting the yarn, and means for clamping the yarn comprising a plate fixed against rotation with the wheel at the upper part of the wheel and within the circle of teeth thereof and a member over said plate receiving the yarn between itself and said fixed plate, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the needles of a circular knitting machine, a toothed wheel rotating relative to the needles, and having a recess in its upper side, a plate in said recess fixed against rotation with the wheel, forming one member of a yarn clamp, a clamping blade over said plate, cooperating therewith, yarn feed fingers movable in relation to the wheel to introduce the yarns to the teeth thereof and remove ittherefrom, and means for operating the yarn feed fingers, substantially as described.

5. In combination with needles of a circular knitting machine, a series of yarn fingers pivotally mounted for introducing the yarns to. and receiving them from feeding position, and means for operating the Ilou yarn fingers, including rock shafts having cam portions for depressing the fingers, said rock shafts having arms projecting at different levels, a cam movable to different levels for operating the rock shafts severally by contact with their respective projecting arms, said rock shafts and cam having relative travelling movement, detents for holding the fingers in depressed position, said detents having projecting arms at the same level with each other, and a cam which is set when the cam first mentioned is raised, to release the detent of the finger which has been feeding, when another finger has been brought into feeding position, substantially as described.

6. In combination with needles of a circular knitting machine, a series of yarn fingers pivotally mounted for introducing the yarns to and receiving them from feeding position, and means for operating the yarn lingers, including rock shafts having cam portions for depressing the fingers, said rock shafts having arms projecting at different levels, a cam movable to different levels for operating the rock shafts severally by contact with their respective projecting arms, said rock shafts and cam having relative travelling movement, detents for holding the fingers in depressed position, said detents having projecting arms at the same level with each other, and a cam which is set when the cam first mentioned is raised, to release the detent of the finger which has been feeding, when another finger has been brought into feeding position, said feed filigers being spring pressed to upper non-feeding position, and the detents being spring pressed, said detents being held against their spring pressure by a portion of the associated yarn finger when the latter is raised, substantially as described.

7. In combination with needles of a circular knitting machine, a series of yarn feed fingers pivotally mounted, a vertical rock shaft for each yarn finger, having a cam movable in a horizontal plane for operating its yarn fingers, said rock shafts having arms at different elevations, an automatically vertically adjustable cam to align with the arms of the rock shafts in prescribed order for their operation as they travel relative to said cam, detents for holding the fingers in feeding position, and a cam for releasing said detents with means for automatically setting the same into and out of the path of travel of said detents, substantially as described.

8. In combination with needles of a circular knitting machine, a series of yarn feed fingers pivotally mounted, a vertical rock shaft for each yarn finger, having a cam movable in a horizontal plane for operating its yarn finger, said rock shafts having arms at different elevations, an automatically vertically adjustable cam to align with the arms of the rock shafts in prescribed order for their operation as they travel relative to said cam, detents for holding the fingers in feeding position, and a cam for releasing said detents with means for automatically setting the same into and out of the path of travel of said detents, said latter cam consisting of a movable member, and said setting means consisting of a cam moved against said cam when the cam first mentioned is raised.

9. In combination with a circular knitting machine, a plurality of yarn feed fingers movably mounted, a plurality of rock shafts, cams thereon for moving the yarn fingers to feeding position, arms on the rock shaft out of alignment with each other, striker cam means movable to align with the said arms severally, said rock shafts and striker cam means having relative travelling movement, detents for holding the yarn fingers in feeding position, and a striker cam for operating said detents, with means for moving the latter cam to and from operative position.

10. In combination in a knitting machine, a plurality of yarn feed fingers, a rock shaft for each yarn finger having disaligned operating arms and having cams for operating the yarn fingers, a detent for each yarn finger to hold it in operative position, a striker cam movable into different positions and into the travelling paths of the arms of the rock shafts, a striker cam for operating the detents with means for moving it to and from operating position, the striker cam first mentioned extending to both sides of the last mentioned striker cam alongside the path of travel of the rock shafts and their arms whereby the yarn finger which is lowered by the said first mentioned striker cam will be maintained in said lowered position despite the temporary withdrawal of its detent by the last mentioned striker cam.

11. In combination in a knitting machine, a plurality of yarn feed fingers, pivotally mounted, a rock shaft for each yarn finger turning about a vertical axis and each having a cam for operating the yarn finger, and a projecting tappet arm, detents for holding the yarn fingers in operative position, a striker cam 19 for operating the rock shafts, said cam being movable vertically to different levels to align with said tappet arms, and a striker cam 19 arranged intermediate the length of the cam 19, with means for moving it to and from position for operating the detents, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES G. KRIEBLE. 

